Wang Mang - As acting emperor

Wang Mang (王莽, pinyin: Wáng Măng) (45 BC–October 6, 23), courtesy name Jujun (巨君), was a Han Dynasty official who seized the throne from the Liu family and founded Xin (or Hsin) Dynasty (新朝, meaning "new dynasty"), ruling AD 8–23. The Han dynasty was restored after his overthrow, and historians have traditionally viewed Wang as a "usurper," while some others have portrayed him as a visionary and selfless social reformer. Though a learned Confucian scholar who sought to implement the harmonious society he ...

Including:

• Wang Mang - Early life and career
• Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces
• Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign
• Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult
• Wang Mang - As acting emperor
• Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes
• Wang Mang - Economic policies
• Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals
• Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government
• Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions
• Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness
• Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure
• Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia - Wang Mang

Because the young Emperor Ping had not had any children by his wife Empress Wang or any of his concubines, there was no heir. Further, by that point, Emperor Ping's grandfather, Emperor Yuan had no surviving male issue. The progeny of Emperor Ping's great-grandfather Emperor Xuan were therefore examined as possible successors. There were 53 great-grandsons of Emperor Xuan then still living by this stage, but they were all adults, and Wang Mang disliked that fact -- he wanted a child whom he could control. Therefore, he declared that i ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - As acting emperor

Early in his reign, now-Emperor Wang Mang was self-confident and believed that he now had the power to implement his ideals of restoring the legendary golden age of the early Zhou Dynasty. To those ends, he modified the governmental structure in many ways to conform with Zhou standards. He also continued the regime of modifying geographical names to fit with ancient names (or more euphemistic names, as he saw fit) -- so much so that even imperial edicts discussing the locations by their new names were forced to include notes on the old names ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes

In 22, Wang Mang finally saw that (as many of his officials had tried to tell him earlier) that the agrarian rebellions were posing a much greater threat to his rule than Xiongnu. He commissioned two of his key officials, Wang Kuang (王匡, not to be confused with the Lülin leader of the same name) and Lian Dan to attack agrarian rebellions, with the Chimei being their first target. Wang and Lian had some initial successes, but Wang insisted on having them keep fighting without resting, and th ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness

After Wang Mang was promoted to this position -- effectively the highest in the imperial government -- he became even better known for his self-discipline and promotion of capable individuals than before. As a result, the people's perception of the Wang clan as arrogant, wasteful, and petty, began to be reversed. In 7 BC, Wang's cousin Emperor Cheng died suddenly, apparently from a stroke (although historians also report the possibility of an overdosage of aphrodisiacs given to him by his favorite, Consort Zhao Hede). Emperor Cheng's ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces

For a while, despite the failures of Wang's policies, the people were generally obedient. About 17, as the burdens from the wars and the corruption continued to increase, however, several agrarian rebellions started and took hold, partly because of a major famine in Jing Prefecture (modern Hubei, Hunan, and southern Henan). The more significant ones include: Guatian Yi (瓜田儀), who occupied territory in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu. Old Lady Lü (呂母), whose son was a minor civil servant who was wrongly killed by the c ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions

After Wang Mang's resignation, he was initially requested by Emperor Ai to remain at the capital Chang'an and periodically meet him to give advice. However, in 5 BC, after Empress Dowager Fu was more successful in her quest for titles -- Emperor Ai removed the qualification "of Dingtao" from his father's posthumous title (thus making him simply "Emperor Gong"), and then gave his grandmother a variation of the grand empress dowager title (ditaitaihou (帝太太后), compared to Grand Empress Dowager Wang's title taihuangtaihou (太皇太后)) ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign

Wang Mang was the son of Wang Man (王曼), the younger brother of Empress Wang Zhengjun, and his wife Qu (渠, family name unknown), born in 45 BC. Wang Man died early, while Wang Mang was young, before Empress Wang became empress dowager when her son Emperor Cheng took the throne, and unlike most of his brothers, did not have the opportunity to become a marquess. Empress Wang had pity on his family, and after she herself was widowed ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - Early life and career

Emperor Ai died suddenly in 1 BC, without heir. In decisive action, Grand Empress Dowager Wang seized power back from Emperor Ai's male favorite and likely lover Dong Xian (who was the commander of the armed forces by this point) and summoned Wang Mang back to the imperial government. She put him in charge of the armed forces and the government. They summoned Prince Jizi of Zhongshan (the last surviving male issue of Grand Empress Dowager Wang's husband Emperor Yuan) to the capital to succeed Emperor Ai, and ...

See also:

Wang Mang, Wang Mang - Early life and career, Wang Mang - First tenure as the commander of the armed forces, Wang Mang - Retirement during Emperor Ai's reign, Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult, Wang Mang - As acting emperor, Wang Mang - Early reign: mistakes, Wang Mang - Economic policies, Wang Mang - Deterioration of the relationship with Xiongnu and other vassals, Wang Mang - Paralysis and corruption of the government, Wang Mang - Middle reign: agrarian rebellions, Wang Mang - Late reign: hopelessness, Wang Mang - Reasons for Wang Mang's failure, Wang Mang - Personal information

Read more here: » Wang Mang: Encyclopedia II - Wang Mang - Regency and buildup of personality cult